Muskoka

On Sunday the 7th of July 2019, my wife and I took part in Muskoka Ironman 70.3 in Huntsville, Ontario. This type of Ironman is refereed to as a “half Ironman” hence the 70.3 (miles). Packing up and travelling to Huntsville was similar to previous races and the drive was nice and scenic not needing to drive on the 401. We arrived around mid day on Friday checking into a Confort Inn 2k from the race site.

We picked up our race kits on Friday afternoon and dropped off our bikes on Saturday. That afternoon we got our gear ready and mixed our nutrition. As per normal I was nervous and over thinking the race. We were lights out by 8 o’clock with the alarms set for 03:45 AM (early). Again, as per normal, we slept not so well. I was up around 1:30 and didn’t fall back to sleep. Alarm went off and away we went. We drove in with our friend Bryan and parked, walked into the transition area and set our stuff up. Setup includes pumping bike tires and laying out bike shoes and helmet, running shoes and cap/sunglasses etc.

Swim start was staggered staring at 7 am. My age group (55-59) was to start at 7:30 and my wife’s was at 7:20. At the swim start there was a lot athletes in a tight space but all went fine. The 1.9 k swim took me 50 minutes, not great but ok. My wet suit was peeled off by volunteers (Peelers) and I ran up to my racked bike. Off for a nice 90k ride. Course was hilly but wind and temperatures where close to deal. I completed the bike in 2:56, a PB! I was very happy! I caught up to Diane (wife) with less than 1 k to go. We exited the transition for the run together and decided to stay together for the rest of the race. It was really nice running together, time flew by and we crossed the finish line hand in hand. We have some super pictures of the finish, it was great! My race time was 6:45, again a personal best. I felt great all day and was only a little stiff in the end.

I think a large part of my success was due to my fat adapted metabolism. I employed the same nutrition plan as I did at Lake Placid last July. About 500 calories of Superstarch and Base salt and nothing but water and ice off the course aid stations. It was great and I look forward to applying this plan to Ironman Florida in early November.